Saudi Arabia sent troops into Bahrain to help put down weeks of protests. Saudi military vehicles crossed a causeway that joins the world s top oil exporter to the tiny island kingdom. The vehicles were lightly armed and there were no tanks or missile launchers in the procession. Analysts saw the troop movement as a mark of concern in Saudi Arabia that political concessions by Bahrain s monarchy could embolden the Saudi kingdom s own Shi ite minority. On hearing the news the protesters ran to the highway they blocked the day before in an attempt to protect the roadblocks they created. Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia sent about 1,000 troops into Bahrain to protect government facilities after mainly Shi'ite protesters overran police and blocked roads.
"We've seen the reports that you're talking about. This is not an invasion of a country," White House spokesman Jay Carney told a news briefing. "We urge the government of Bahrain, as we have repeatedly, as well as other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, to exercise restraint," Carney added. The Gulf Cooperation Council comprises Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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